Goodlife Residence

“Quiet, clean hotel with amazing service”

We stayed at the Goodlife Residence for two weeks in early 2018. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. TL;DR * Incredible service * Very comfortable beds and rooms * Delicious breakfast * Quiet spot with a great view But by far the best thing about staying here is the exceptional service. Laura h… more

We stayed at the Goodlife Residence for two weeks in early 2018. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. TL;DR * Incredible service * Very comfortable beds and rooms * Delicious breakfast * Quiet spot with a great view But by far the best thing about staying here is the exceptional service. Laura helped us with everything, from getting SIM-cards to finding spots to eat out. She is nearly always available and speaks excellent English, and the owner Peter lives just next door. Even when we had a medical emergency, they could be counted on. Laura is also very good company, so we had a few lunches and dinners with her. There is a daily laundry service that is free to use, which is amazing. All the other staff, from security to groundskeeping to housekeeping were very accommodating and helpful. The residence has 5 rooms, and a large dining area with a kitchen that guests are allowed to use. One of the five rooms is on top of the kitchen, and has its own large veranda. We did not stay here, but it looked very nice. It is also slightly bigger than the others, so if you can, request this room. Our room was quiet (also thanks to the quiet neighbourhood) and very clean. The room is reasonably spacious and has a very comfortable mattress. We slept better here than anywhere else in East Africa. WIFI is usually good and free, and the included breakfast was great. The breakfast had bread from a really nice French bakery in town (Le Café Gourmand, also recommended), and an assortment of fresh fruit (mangoes, pineapple, bananas etc.). You can ask Laura if you have anything special you want to have for breakfast. The residence is a bit outside the main area of Bujumbura, but close enough to either walk to town (30-60min depending on where you’re going) or take a taxi (10-20min depending on where you’re going). As it’s a bit up the hill, Laura can always arrange a taxi. The upside of this is that it’s quiet and the view is amazing. If you decide to walk, you’ll no doubt be greeted by many people living in the neighbourhood, who’ve been very friendly and helpful to us. The residence has a very large garden with beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees. The owner led us through them and showed us the different plants. It’s a very peaceful, relaxing place, especially to sit outside your room on the porch and enjoy the view over Bujumbura and Lake Tanganyika. Highly recommended. On a small side note: if you want to stay at Goodlife Residence, please contact Laura directly using goodliferesidencebuja@gmail.com or her phone number which is listed on Google rather than using an intermediary like Booking.com. The rates will be quite a bit better, especially if you intend to stay long term. They also have a pickup service from the airport, so let them know in advance when you’re coming.

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“A superb guesthouse”

We stayed two nights in this gem of a guesthouse situated in a quiet residential area of Bujumbura. The fantastic modern rooms are a delight and have terraces or balconies. Our room upstairs No 5 has a large balcony with seating area and overlooks the city and Lake Tanganyika beyond. Although a lit… more

We stayed two nights in this gem of a guesthouse situated in a quiet residential area of Bujumbura. The fantastic modern rooms are a delight and have terraces or balconies. Our room upstairs No 5 has a large balcony with seating area and overlooks the city and Lake Tanganyika beyond. Although a little out of Bujumbura centre it is easy and cheap to jump on a moto taxi into town. You will be well looked after by the lovely Laura and her staff who will cater for everything you require. A totally relaxing place in a city that is having its fair share of political problems at the moment.We felt perfectly safe as tourists walking around the city and Lake Tanganyika during the daytime. We only wish we could have stayed longer. Very highly recommended.

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“What a stay at Good Life Residence”

I have deeply enjoyed staying 3 weeks (with some breaks in-between) at Good LIfe Residence. Pierre and his team is friendly, welcoming, available and helpful. I have enjoyed the excellence of the smiling service, the breakfasts with lot of local fruits, the quietness of the place and the view on th… more

I have deeply enjoyed staying 3 weeks (with some breaks in-between) at Good LIfe Residence. Pierre and his team is friendly, welcoming, available and helpful. I have enjoyed the excellence of the smiling service, the breakfasts with lot of local fruits, the quietness of the place and the view on the lake near the city... If you pay a litlle attention in the morning while havong your breakfast, you can enjoy some lovely colourful birds flying in the valley... It is located on the hill at about 10min in taxi from the city center. Just excellent to profit from the calm and peace without being at the end of the world... Definitely, I will return.

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“Friendly, service minded and fresh ”

Friendly and beautiful small guesthouse perched on the hills above the university. Laura and her team work hard to help their guests with anything and everything. We arrived at the airport in the middle of the night, but she was there waiting for us with a taxi. The breakfasts were waiting for us a… more

Friendly and beautiful small guesthouse perched on the hills above the university. Laura and her team work hard to help their guests with anything and everything. We arrived at the airport in the middle of the night, but she was there waiting for us with a taxi. The breakfasts were waiting for us at the right time every morning (not a given in Bujumbura). The only reason that it's not a full 5 was the ongoing renovations, but noisy as they are, they'll be over soon.

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